Another bike thread

[CaseTragedy]

Seems like everyone thinks its bad to buy bikes from Target/Walmart. What if I could only spend <$100? Doesn't leave me with a lot of options. How bad are these $60 bikes from Walmart? Will they last if I for long distances on cement? Also important, will my arse last if I ride for long distances on cement?


-Case

 

[boyRacer]

If you're just going to ride a bike around your neighborhood... i dont have any complaints about the $60 walmart bikes...

 

[CaseTragedy]

Originally posted by: bR
If you're just going to ride a bike around your neighborhood... i dont have any complaints about the $60 walmart bikes...

Sounds good, but will I feel like I just got reamed if I ride for more than an hour?


-Case

 

[WinkOsmosis]

I went to a bike shop and the cheapest they had was $300.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Jeez if you want to pay $250 go to your local bike shop and get the low-end Trek in that game!

Will it suck like bikes from Target??

ONe of the bike shops in Austin sells used bikes. I think I'll check them out.

check these guys out, gave 3 of my friends a pretty good deal.

i'd say get a bike locally, lots of good places in austin, they'll let you try things out, give good honest advice, help you adjust the bike just for you, etc.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: CaseTragedy

Originally posted by: bR
If you're just going to ride a bike around your neighborhood... i dont have any complaints about the $60 walmart bikes...

Sounds good, but will I feel like I just got reamed if I ride for more than an hour?


-Case

If you havent been riding at all... any mtn bike or roadbike will make your tailbone scream in pain... ...if that bothers you then just get a gel seat...

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Jeez if you want to pay $250 go to your local bike shop and get the low-end Trek in that game!

Will it suck like bikes from Target??

ONe of the bike shops in Austin sells used bikes. I think I'll check them out.

check these guys out, gave 3 of my friends a pretty good deal.

i'd say get a bike locally, lots of good places in austin, they'll let you try things out, give good honest advice, help you adjust the bike just for you, etc.

Ozone is where I went. They didn't have many cheap bikes.

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
I went to a bike shop and the cheapest they had was $300.

Try another shop then. The shop I go to back at home has a lot of bikes in the $200-$300 range. Pretty much all of the major manufacturers (Trek, GT, Specialized, Giant, Gary Fisher) are going to have a bike somewhere between $200-$300. You should be able to find the lowest-end Trek (820) for around $220 I would expect.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

ATB/Mountain Bikes
$149 Nishiki Pueblo 19"
$199 Trek 830 16"
$199 GT Palomar 20"

Any of those good? I know they are different sizes. I'm just trying to get an idea of used prices.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
ATB/Mountain Bikes
$149 Nishiki Pueblo 19"
$199 Trek 830 16"
$199 GT Palomar 20"

Any of those good?

Out of those three i would go with the Trek... but then i dont know how tall you are... did you try any of them out?
GT was bought by Pacific Cycles along with Schwinn and Mongoose... which is why you see them at walmart and such.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

I don't know what size to look for because I'm getting conflicting reports. One online calculator said I should get 21.5". The guy in a bike store said 18". I'm 5'8" with a 31.5" inseam.

 

[Sukhoi]

I'm 6'0" and I have a 19.5" frame Trek 4500 which I consider good for me, but a little large. I'd expect you'd want more of a 17" frame.

The Trek is the best of those bikes, but $200 for a used low-end Trek sure doesn't sound very cheap.

 

[Thegonagle]

You've really got to narrow down a few models that you think would work, and then, like we're all telling you, test ride them, possibly in more than one frame size. (BTW, as a rule, all sizes of a particular model are the same price.)

The people here giving you advice enjoy bicycling, and want to see you enjoy it too. If the bike isn't a comfortable fit, you'll leave it in the garage. It's all about your comfort, and that's nothing that any online calculator can accurately judge. That's why we're all trying to steer you toward a bike shop, where you can test ride, instead of eBay.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
I'm looking at mountain bikes on ebay, and I want the ATOT experts to tell me which ones are good, so please aide me in this endeavor. Also, I'm 5'8". Is it safe to assume for now that a medium bike will fit me?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3662647788&category=27948
Is Fuji a good bike company? How expensive is that auction liable to get?

NO NO NO NO!
A good started bike would be a hardtail. Something like
this.

For full suspension go with something like this.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: CaseTragedy
Seems like everyone thinks its bad to buy bikes from Target/Walmart. What if I could only spend <$100? Doesn't leave me with a lot of options. How bad are these $60 bikes from Walmart? Will they last if I for long distances on cement? Also important, will my arse last if I ride for long distances on cement?


-Case

Very very bad. Stay away, far away.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: CaseTragedy
Seems like everyone thinks its bad to buy bikes from Target/Walmart. What if I could only spend <$100? Doesn't leave me with a lot of options. How bad are these $60 bikes from Walmart? Will they last if I for long distances on cement? Also important, will my arse last if I ride for long distances on cement?


-Case

If you can't spend more than $100, it's probably best to have a friend who knows a little bit about bikes to help you find a good used one. IMO, those $60 "bikes" at Wal-Mart are garbage. All you need to do is ride one of those heavy pigs once, and then hop on a real bike, even an older one, and you'll know. The difference is profound.

 

[Sukhoi]

Yeah about the minimum I would spend on a full suspension bike is $500-$750. Anything less than that and you're making large sacrifices in components to get the full suspension, which isn't going to be very good.